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Monthly Archives: December 2016

Here’s to the books I read through in 2016. If this was a list of all the books I started…and am still ‘in process’ on it would be much longer. I tend to read a fair amount of non-fiction and since they are usually things I need to ponder for a bit, they get left on the side for a bit. I also have a very bad habit of finding books that others mention and adding it to my Kindle right away…so I get distracted from what I’m reading at that moment and find myself diving into something else.

These are some of the books that I will be holding on to to read again:

This was one of the best written books on the Enneagram I’ve come across. I read it in a week and now have gone back to read it again, underlining and making notes. Cron indicates that he wanted to make a ‘primer’ about the Enneagram and it is accessible and a key resource for those wanting to know more about personality and what makes others function as they do. I don’t normally read books that EVERYONE is talking about, but this peaked my interest. It will be on my bookshelf for a long while.

I first read about this book on ‘Book of the Month’. It ended up being a good price so I downloaded it since I was intrigued. This book BLEW MY MIND. Seriously. I took English Literature in University, I have read countless books and at the end of Part One, the author dropped a bombshell and I didn’t see coming at all. I was appalled that I hadn’t picked it up. I didn’t know if I should finish the rest of the book since I had assumed so much in the first part. It was a difficult second part, going into the reasons behind many of the choices made in part one, and when I finished I shook my head. I still couldn’t believe I fell for the assumptions she lures you into creating in your head. Skillful written, this is a mystery writer that doesn’t use a predictable outline, but instead leaves the reader blindsided several times.
I believe this book was recommended by Emily Freeman as one of the best books she had read in one of her end of the month summations. I didn’t know of Edie or anything about her story. It was stunning, in a good and awful way. Edie lived a very difficult life growing up, and even in recent years has been through many tragic circumstances. The byline of her book states “the story of a Southern Girl who went through fire to find her way home” and indeed there is a refining aspect to this story, but also such redemption as well. I am so thankful for Edie’s willingness to share so vulnerably about her life growing up, as well as the challenges she has faced in more recent life. An excellent memoir.

This beautiful compilation contains the writing of many people who are near and dear to my heart. It is marketed as ‘Stories of redemption’ and indeed the stories are quite vulnerably shared, and yet full of such hope. I believed in this project for a long time, and am a fierce supporter of Cara and her writing, so was beyond excited to see the book come to fruition. The stories shared within resonated deeply with me. Some of the individuals I had heard from before, and others were new to me. There were some voices that I decided to read more from after reading their excerpt in this book. The chapters are short and each story stands alone.

There is a reason that Lisa is a New York Times bestselling author. She writes a great thriller. This story was masterfully woven together and the end was fascinating. I had anticipated that things were not as they seemed, but it was interesting to see her bring it all together. I will definitely be reading more from her.
This is another one of those books that had EVERYONE talking. I believe it was Reay’s first or second novel. It is her take on Pride and Prejudice and wonderfully done. I loved that it was composed of letters detailing her journeys. I love the way that it all came together in the end. It was masterfully done in her own unique way. This is another novel that I believe I will find myself reading again soon.